


Secrets have a way of coming out

by okaywhateverokayyes



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Shadowhunters (TV) RPF
Genre: 2.15 minor spoilers, Angst, Comfort, Fluff and Crack, Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M, Malec, Parabatai, Season 2b minor spoliers, Siblings, Sulking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 06:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11458116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okaywhateverokayyes/pseuds/okaywhateverokayyes
Summary: "Quit Sulking." Jace admonishes.(This goes hand in hand with the sneak peek clip that was given to us regarding Malec for 2.15)





	Secrets have a way of coming out

“Quit sulking.”

Alec rubs at his neck, tilts his head slightly as he glowers. He stifles a snort as he kicks at a stool from underneath the bench as Jace appears, inadvertently rolling his eyes.

“I’m not sulking.” He asserts, crossing his hands across his chest as he plasters backwards, leaning on nothing to leverage him but his sheer grapple from the soles of his boots. He notices the graze against Jace’s cheek, reflexively extends his hand out to cusp his jaw and stops him short as he goes to sit. “What happened to you?” He asks, curious but mostly contrite for whoever had to confront Jace’s wrath.

Alec knew Jace had a level of tolerance for stupidity but that was an understatement considering that he’s usually the one ready to quarrel when someone at the off-chance, looks at him a little too long.

Jace doesn’t put much of a fight as he makes an effort to flick his grasp, but if Alec’s being honest-if Jace wanted to not be touched, he would have made that clear. “Nothing.” He huffs, “You’re deflecting.” He retorts, stilling when Alec swipes his thumb across the slight reddish-purple hue around the abrasion.

Alec smacks him lightly as he retracts his hand. “That doesn’t look like nothing.” He observes. “Did you even _try_ to patch it up?” He asks, notices a stitch either missing or overlapping each other when they shouldn’t be. “Do you need me to rune you?”

Jace drops his gaze as he tosses an apple in Alec’s lap. He takes another bite out of the one in his other hand, glowers as he chews down. “That was not a good apple.” His voice is quieter, not void of any dry sarcasm albeit how reticent he sounds.

Alec recognizes the tone immediately. It’s the one where Jace decides in on his own that he’s somehow at fault for whatever got him hurt and that drawing a rune would do nothing but mask his pain. It was somehow dishonorable- And for some reason, despite every other person’s insistence that he was not at fault, which he usually never is when it matters-Jace’s stubbornness prevails.

 _Idiot_.

“Deflecting!” Jace jabs a finger in Alec’s direction as he feigns pain. “You’re not as good as you think you are.” He says, “You know, with trying to make the conversation not about you.” Jace sits on the stool, stretching his feet out in front of him in the process.

Alec slides his hand into his pocket, pulls out his phone and swipes his thumb across the screen. He notices no apparent red bubble hovering over the green box, grumbles under his breath before tossing the phone near the vicinity of his nimble fingers.

He’s not one to text. He doesn’t see the practicality of it. If someone wanted a swift answer, calling was more apt. If the other person was unable to pick up, that was another story. Yet, if wanting to avoid having to talk to that other person at the off-chance of not wanting to pester them-well, that was another story. Alec was avoiding the former of his two options in sheer deference.

 _I’m fine, Alexander_.

Alec grips onto the apple in his lap, squeezes until the palm of his hand is a ghostly white. He grits down on his teeth as his voice reverberates in the confines of his mind.

_I’m fine Alexander._

“Alec.” Jace curls his fingers around his shoulder. Alec gives the apple another squeeze before dropping it in his lap, blinking as he looks up. “What did that apple do to you?” Jace is accusatory as he asks, feigning offense as he retrieves it from off his lap.

Jace swipes it with keen interest with his gloves, curls his hands into a fist and uses his knuckles to give it a quick swipe. When he’s content with the cleanliness of it, he throws on a smirk as he shoves it into the pocket of his jeans.

“You’re _actually_ offended?” Alec parses his lips thin as he asks. At the immaculate sense of interest that Jace had just put into scouring a fruit, Alec rolls his eyes at the absurdity of the answer he’s already aware of.

Jace frowns. “Did you know what I had to do to get _two_ of them?!”

Alec shrugs.

Whatever it was, he assumes it doesn’t take much effort, if at all.

And he’s not wrong.

“Nothing!” Jace answers, “And that means _something_. That means I-Jace W-Herondale-parabatai of Alexander Gideon Lightwood-woke up bright and early, made the conscious choice to provide sustenance to my parabatai and what do I get?” Jace tilts on his heel as he faces his back to Alec, talking to no one but that doesn’t stop him as he continues. “ _Nothing_. I get nothing for being considerate.”

Alec drops his hands to his sides.

“You’re awfully cheery this morning.” Alec observes.

Jace snorts. “You’re awfully sullen today.” He’s quick to retort, “What-woke up on the wrong side of the bed again?” But he breaks out in a smothering scowl,  “Ah-but then again, I haven’t seen Alexander Gideon Lightwood in the Institute for the past four nights-“ Jace breaks out into a grin as he sways his hands mid-air. “Alec, Alec-Alec-“ He’s mumbling under his breath, a little too gleefully. “Told you to stop thinking with your stele.”

Alec kneads his fingers into the flesh of his forehead, huffing under his breath as the pressure in the creases of his brows are dulled just by the sheer force.

He glances at his phone from the periphery of his eye, waits for a sound-

Maybe even a vibration- a utility of this phone that he has never had use for until Alec’s decided that pragmatically, if someone were in need to reach him and he’s not able to reply out of sheer auto silence, that’s a mistake on his part. So considering that-just for the self-assurance-he’s turned it on.

Just in case.

Just in case _someone_ needed to reach out to him-

And tell him something important-

Maybe not now.

But eventually.

 _Yeah_. Alec nods to himself. _That’s it_.

As head of the institute, it was his prerogative to be keen and cognizant of all.

 _I’m fine, Alexander_.

Alec is quick to his feet as he stands up, his bottom burning as if something had just incinerated him. He fists his hands at his sides, elevating his posture as he arches his back.

“What’s wrong?” And just like that, Jace reverts back to his usual composure, a brazenness returns to his voice that is void of any malice. “Did something happen with Magnus?” And Alec hates how easy it is for Jace to just know that. Not because it has to do with Magnus. But it goes to show how perceptive Jace was and that Alec could be easily read by him when needed. As if there was no poker face to put up. As if Alec was either incapable of doing so or Jace was too shrewd to see right _through_.

“Not really.” Which was not a lie, considering the fact that something might be amiss, but him not being aware of it meant that the gut feeling he had was nothing more than an intuitive assumption rather than one rooted in facts. “Not yet.”

Jace fists Alec’s phone in his hand. “Something to do with this?”

Alec shrugs.

“I don’t know.”

He’s not sure what it has to do with anymore. Knowing that something was wrong and yet there was nothing he could do because Magnus was telling him that there was nothing to be worried about. Or the fact that Alec sensed immediately that the words Magnus spewed were masked with such deception that Alec should have pushed just a little bit to find out what he was hiding.

And if he had done that, his concern for Magnus would have been rooted in for another reason.

“Then find out.”

Alec doesn’t miss a beat as he asks. “What do you mean?”

“If he won’t tell you, find another way.” He replies, as it was the most obvious thing.

Alec shakes his head. Dislikes the presumption of it. “I _trust_ Magnus.”

Jace places his hands on his hips, frowns as he replies- “It’s not about trust, Alec.” And if Alec didn’t know better, it sounded as if Jace was hurt by the assumption. “It’s about you caring about someone and wanting to know if there’s anything you can do to help that person.” Jace whisks his lips in a thin line as he pauses.

Alec’s immediately contrite as the silence becomes deafening. He goes to mutter an apology, only for Jace to flicker his palm dismissively in the air.

Alec shuts his mouth close.

Jace purses his lips as he creases his forehead. He taps his fingers against his sides in verbatim as he paces in front of Alec, consumed by his thoughts. Alec watches as Jace turns from one side of the room to the other as he reaches the end. He’s quick as he tilts on his heel, cognizant of his surroundings as he concentrates more on the surroundings than where he’s walking and yet- he knew exactly when he’s about to collide into a wall and is quick to turn.

Perceptive was Jace’s strong point.

So was nimble fortitude that was graced upon him.

Alec snorted quietly under his breath.

 _The boost in his ego if he were to say that out loud-oh, no way_.

“I got it!”

Alec is slow as he nods.

“You do?”

“ _Yeah!_ ” Jace repeats, “I got it!”

Alec waits for him to continue and yet, is left dismayed as Jace disappears out the door and into the hallway. Alec is quick as he follows him, his legs conducive in keeping pace. He’s soon at Jace’s side, both of them walking in rhythm as they walk out into the main operative room. There’s a bustling crowd that makes it slightly jarring for Alec to follow suit but he’s focused as he slips past people walking in all directions just to fall short of Jace’s pace.

Alec notices Izzy glance up from looking at the hologram of the motor map of a residing area in midtown emanating from the screen. She glances briefly at Jace before her gaze drops upon Alec. She draws her hand out as she stops Jace, him ceasing briskly-

“Alec-“ She’s concerned as she directs her attention to him, “Where are you going?”

Alec turns to face Jace, the moment he does the same. They both give each other a presumptuous shrug, looking away as if they hadn’t just shared that moment.

“Alec-“ Izzy barks.

Jace is quick as he extricates himself from her grip. He makes it look so easy but Alec is more than aware of the fact that her iron-grip is anything but.

“Izzy-“

“ _Jace_.”

“Okay, _Izzy_.” Jace repeats with the same tone.

“ _Okay, **Jace**_.”

Alec inserts himself in between. “Not now.” He mutters as he extends both his hands out. “Jace is just-“

“Whatever it is, I want in.” Izzy interrupts, directing her attention to Jace. Alec whisks his head to face him as well, wavering his eyes to see what Jace would say. Instead, he comes across a stoic face, one that no matter Alec could muster, would be incapable of discerning what exactly was going on in that mind of his.

Jace doesn’t make even a slight falter in his expression as he returns the glare. Alec turns to face Izzy, watches as she carries on a level of weight on her shoulders as she purses her lips. She was very robust in appearing impassive but when she didn’t need to, she didn’t. And at that moment, she didn’t feel the need to. She wore a look of resilience and a pinch of stubbornness that was familiar to a Lightwood-nothing unexpected.

And yet, that unsettling feeling of having to see that brazen expressiveness on her face does nothing to assuage him.

“Jace-“ Alec mutters.

“We’re gonna go look for Dot!”

Huh.

“Why?” Izzy is the first to ask.

Yeah, _why_.

Jace shrugs. “To help our sulking brother.” As if it was the most obvious answer to the question.

 

 


End file.
